Underused Resource – Internationally Trained Professionals

I am just putting the finishing touches on a presentation I will be delivering tomorrow to two YMCAemployment centres on how to better engage internationally trained professionals (ITPs) in human resources roles.

I think is important message for employment professionals to know all of the great benefits of a career in HR, but the bigger piece of the puzzle is getting this message out to employers.

We in Canada do a great job of advertising why it is great to leave your home nation and move here, but do we do enough to help people once they arrive?

We attract and enormously talented group of individuals who have often left successful careers in their home nation to come to Canada – a nation that desperately needs immigration to sustain its economy. Logically this should be a win-win situation. So where is the disconnect?

Partnering with agencies that help newcomers to Canada can give you access to an amazing course of talent and save your organization money. As these agencies receive funding from the government and/or community associations there is no cost to review resumes or meet their candidates. All you need to do is send over the job posting and ask if there are any interested/qualified candidates. That means a cheaper recruiting source for talent. But it gets better…

Some of these organizations also offer funding to subsidize the initial few months of employment for these individuals. That means it costs you less to pay them in their first year of employment. So to recap, so far we have reduced your recruiting fees and saved your salary dollars. But there is more….

ITP’s offer several additional benefits to your organization; a diverse perspective that brings ingenuity to the workplace and the ability to relate to another client group’s culture to name just two.

Also, ITP’s came to Canada to work and to improve their life and access to opportunity. This makes them driven and motivated towards success.

So the brief arguments here towards hiring an ITP are:

highly talented pool of candidates who are often overlooked by other employers

cheaper to recruit

potential savings on initial year salary

increased perspective and ability to relate to more clients

driven individuals who want to succeed

So what are you waiting for? Go Google your local Immigrant Serving Agency, YMCA, or other employment service for new immigrants and make that connection today.